Pet Mate Limited

Christopher P Kirk

Jeremy Oates

Kishen Gohil

Anthony J Lee

An automatic animal feeder has two bowls and a base unit which accepts the bowls. Two lids are provided, one for each bowl, which may be closed to cover the bowl and prevent access to it or opened about a hinge means to allow access to the bowl. A lid control mechanism is capable of keeping either lid closed independently or opening either lid independently. A removable joining member is provided that links the two lids so that one lid cannot open unless the other lid can also open.

Pet bowl with automatic lid

An automatic animal feeder includes a bowl, a base unit which accepts the bowl, a lid which may be closed to cover the bowl and prevent access to it, or opened about a hinge to allow access to the bowl, a lid control mechanism capable of keeping the lid closed, or opening the lid, the bowl including a profile on its outer surface, on the side furthest from lid hinge, and a base unit including a corresponding profile on its inner surface. The bowl profile and the base profile interlock when the bowl is positioned in the base unit, such that the side of the bowl with the profile is constrained against being lifted substantially vertically.

Pet bowl

Filter for drinking water

A pet fountain comprises an upper bowl, a base including a lower bowl. The upper bowl can be secured to the base so that it is elevated above the level of the base. The lower bowl is sufficiently large to accommodate the upper bowl when the upper bowl is not secured to the base. The internal space of the lower bowl has at least one span that is slightly greater than the longest measurement across the upper bowl.

Pet fountains

Cat flap

Pump housing

A filtration unit e.g. for ponds comprises a housing divided into a radiation chamber (18) with a water inlet (20) and a filtration chamber (19) with water outlets (21,22). A weir (23) in the partition wall (17) between the chambers controls the water level in the radiation chamber (18). One or more UV tubes (25,26) are mounted in the radiation chamber (18) above the water level therein controlled by the weir (23). Preferably the housing has a cover which is in two parts a first (33) of which extends over the radiation chamber (18) and is secured by screws or the like so that it cannot be removed inadvertently, and the second (34) of which extends over the filtration chamber (19) and is hinged to give ready access to the filtration chamber (19).

Water treatment

Automatic feeder for fish or birds

Automatic animal feeder

A device for dispensing e.g. food to domestic animals comprises a dish divided into sector-shaped compartments over which a removable cover rotates. The cover has an opening which registers with the compartments in sequence. The cover is rotated by a clock spring at intervals timed by a timer mechanism in turn driven by an electric motor. Cams of the timer mechanism sequentially displace one end of a cam follower or rocker lever so that its other end disengages a first abutment rotatable with the cover, permitting the spring to rotate the cover until a next abutment is engaged. The abutments opposed to the direction of rotation of the cover by the spring extend progressively further from the axis of rotation of the cover, or in an alternative arrangement are stepped in the direction of its rotational axis. Similarly the cams of the timer mechanism extend progressively further from its axis of rotation or are stepped in the direction of this axis. By disengaging the abutments successively the cam follower controls angular movement of the cover at time intervals determined by the circumferential separation of the cam surfaces. In a preferred construction this circumferential separation is adjustable as the cam surfaces are provided on respective time set levers which are manually adjustable about the axis of rotation of the timer device.

Dispensing device

In a dispensing device for automatically feeding fish a base 11 has mounted on its upper surface 14 a drive member 23 constantly rotated by a small, highly geared battery powered stepping motor controlled by a quartz controlled electronic circuit mounted within the base. A ring 15 of compartments freely rotatable on the surface 14 within location ribs 16 of the base has on its inner periphery 18 spaced ribs 26 one of which will be engaged by a pawl 25 or 25' of the drive member 23 during each revolution of the drive member, whereby the ring 15 is periodically arcuately displaced. The compartments of the ring 15 are open at top and bottom and in their path is an aperture 20 through the base. The compartments of the ring 15 are brought successively into alignment with the aperture 20 so that fish food located in the compartments is discharged by gravity through the aperture 20. Each pawl 25,25' is removably pegged into a selected one of eight holes 35 distributed circumferentially of the top of the drive member 23 so that the times when the ring 15 will be displaced during each revolution of the drive member 23 can be selected.

A pet door comprises a frame defining an aperture in which a flap is pivotally suspended so as to close the aperture when it hangs vertically. A pet such as a cat can push the flap either way to pass through the aperture when entering or leaving a house. Entry is controlled by a solenoid-operated catch which is energized when a magnet carried on a cat's collar enters the common detection zone of an array of reed switches disposed at the distal end of an extension of the bottom of the frame in spaced relation to the plane of the aperture.

Growing community of inventors

Sunbury-on-Thames, United Kingdom

Christopher P Kirk